The Gates of Hell

Source: Reuters

Russian troops and armor moved in or around at least three Georgian towns on Thursday, ignoring demands by Washington that Moscow respect Georgia’s territorial integrity.

Reuters witnesses saw Russian troops in the key central Georgian town of Gori and outside the western town of Zugdidi. Residents in the Black Sea port of Poti saw a Russian incursion.

In Moscow, the Russian General Staff said it was legitimate for “Russian peacekeepers” to be in Poti and for what it termed “reconnaissance parties” to be in Gori, two days after Russia signed up to a French-led peace plan to stop the fighting.

Russian armed forces have occupied parts of Georgia since repelling a Georgian attack last week on the tiny pro-Russian separatist territory of South Ossetia. The territory broke away from Georgia in the 1990s.

The conflict has spooked oil markets, reliant on pipelines through the Caucasus for Caspian oil, and alarmed the West, which fears it could spiral out of control.

Sharpening the confrontation with the United States over the future of Georgia, Medvedev received in the Kremlin on Thursday the leaders of the two separatist regions at the heart of the week-old conflict and promised them Moscow’s backing.

“You defended your land and justice was on your side,” a stern-looking Medvedev said in televised remarks at the meeting. “That is why you won, with the assistance of Russian peacekeepers…I think that is an appropriate outcome.”

But in Washington, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates said Moscow’s behavior had profound implications for security relations and could adversely affect the relationship with Washington for years to come.

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 14th, 2008 at 12:31 pm and is filed under USA, Wars and Rumors of Wars, russia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.